Prosecutors said Jeffrey Pyne -- fed up with his situation at home, including the condition of his bipolar mother -- used a two-by-four to hit her 14 times in the back of the head before stabbing her 16 times in the neck.

Ruth Pyne, 51, was found dead in the garage of the family's Highland Township home on May 27, 2011.

Pyne's father, Bernie Pyne, was "surprised" by the verdict and still believes his son is innocent.

Watch a report on the verdict in the Jeffrey Pyne case during today's News at Noon.

"I wasn't there to protect my wife when I needed to be, and I wasn't able to get my son ... home for his sister for Christmas, so it hasn't been a good year," an emotional Bernie Pyne said upon leaving the courtroom.

He holds onto hope that Jeffrey Pyne could be released from prison someday.

"I believe there are other suspects out there that were never looked at. The system has come to fruition and that's where we're at now."

Bernie Pyne and the rest of Jeffrey Pyne's supporters remained silent as the verdict was read. A throng of media, including many national outlets, descended on Bernie Pyne moments after the verdict was read, and he provided a brief statement while walking toward the fourth floor elevators.

Bernie Pyne said his son "had a bright future."

"My son would never harm his mother," he said. "I said that from the start, and I mean it."

Back inside the courtroom, Ruth Pyne's sister, Linda Jarvie, gave a brief statement.

"(Ruth Pyne) was not the monster the media portrayed her to be," Jarvie said.

"Some justice was served by the guilty verdict today. I am deeply saddened by my sister Ruth's senseless death. This was a heinous crime. Ruth Pyne was a victim."

Pyne's defense attorney, James Champion, remained seated at the defense table inside Oakland County Circuit Judge Leo Bowman's courtroom for about 40 minutes before turning around to address the media.

"I don't believe they had the evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, but this isn't the end of the fight," a sullen Champion said.

"I told Jeffrey tonight as we were parting company that I visited him last year on Christmas Day in the jail, and I told him 'This is the last Christmas you'll be here,' and I didn't get that done," he said.

"That's hard. The other thing that's hard is his sister Julia. She's lost her mother. She's had her brother in jail for over a year now. Bernie's got a real tough job to go home and tell that little girl that (Jeffrey's) not coming home."

Champion said this is "not the end of the fight."

"We'll take our lumps today, and we'll get back at it tomorrow," he said.

"On a circumstantial evidence only case, with no strong motive and character evidence being an issue that we objected to, it is certainly something we're looking at strongly," he said of a potential appeal.

The jury, which consisted of eight women and four men, began deliberations Friday afternoon and continued all day Monday before notifying the court that a verdict had been reached on Tuesday morning. All jurors declined a chance to speak with the media following the verdict.

Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor John Skrzynski declined comment, directing all questions to Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper, who could not be reached Tuesday evening.